ARTICLE SAMPLES

Riley’s StoryExcerpted from Awesomism: A New Way to Understand the Diagnosis of Autism By Suzy Miller, M.Ed., C.C.C.

My own personal experience as a child taught me that there was so much more to me than the adults in my world could see. And thus in my mind as I grew older, I knew there was much more to every child than most could see. I also knew that children were always communicating regardless of whether or not they were speaking. It seemed that many of the children that I worked with suffered not only from difficulty with communication skills but also from a feeling of insecurity or a lack of trust. It became obvious to me that it was most important to gain a sense of trust and connection with the child, and the communication just came easier. It also seemed apparent to me from early on that the best practice was to focus on what the child can do versus what they cannot do. By focusing on the “can dos,” the hard-to-do things became much easier for them, and so they progressed well.

AWESOMISM IS THE DEEP INNER SHIFT that restores your trust in yourself, your child and your significant relationships AWESOMISM IS SEEING BEYOND the “disorder” to a brilliance of your child’s difference. AWESOMISM IS KNOWING your child for who they really are, complete with the amazing clarity, wisdom and gifts that they are bringing to your life.

For years now we have heard terms like Indigo, Crystalline, Star Children and the like. We have been advised regarding how to work with these children, what gifts they are bringing and how to advance their skills. We have heard about the trials and blessings of raising these conscious children. Lately, however, I have been feeling the need to take a step back from all the information and get back to basics, both with my clients and my own four children. And in the process, I have been asking myself this question: “Regardless of who these children are, where they come from or what their abilities are, how can we all learn and grow consciously from these relationships?”

I have spent the last several weeks talking about and attempting to be fully present in the various aspects of my daily life. Because so much of my life revolves around children, I have had almost constant opportunities to practice this presence with them. My first interesting observation was that it is so much easier for me to be fully present with a child than with most adults, and of the adults that I could easily be fully present with, I noticed that they, too, had a child like quality to them. Children are naturally fully present. I am sure that is why it feels so good to watch them play and enjoy themselves. However, not everyone finds it easy to be fully present with the children in their care. The real truth is that many find it hard to be fully present…